As Wolves kicked off their One Pack Week celebrations in their Premier League meeting against Brentford, some of the club’s disabled supporters inside the stadium were given newly created ‘Comfort Packs’.
Handed out at Saturday’s game by Wolves’ disability access officer Laura Wright, the bespoke packs – which are unique to each individual fan – are designed to help supporters with sensory issues while they are watching matches at Molineux.
Wright and the Wolves Disabled Supporters Association (DSA) have received funding from Level Playing Field and CAFÉ (Centre of Access for Football in Europe) to put together a small batch of packs which will provide comfort to fans with neurodiverse needs, such as dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia, ADHD, sensory processing disorder, auditory processing disorder, visual processing disorder, autism and dementia.
“I wanted to start offering sensory packs to our supporters with neurodiverse needs for a couple of years now, but we haven’t been able to secure the funding,” Wright said. “Equipment such as ear defenders are quite expensive individually, so if you are making up more than 10 packs, that takes up a big bulk of budget.
“So, we’re very grateful for the £250 grant we’ve received during the celebrations of CAFÉ’s Week of Action and Level Playing Field Unite for Access, as that’s enabled us to start creating a small batch of packs.
“About 70 per cent of clubs in the Premier League provide packs like these, but they’re usually quite generic and not bespoke to each user. One of our supporters recently received a pack while at an away game and it just wasn’t suited to their individual needs, so that was something we really wanted to make sure we did correctly to ensure it has the best impact on our fans.”
During a small trial at Saturday’s fixture, 15 bags were packed ready for supporters who had completed a questionnaire prior to the match, with the questions designed to distinguish what items would be of help to them coping with the sensory pressures that comes from a matchday at Molineux.
Wright added: “I identified 15 supporters who are already known to me, and carried out a closed invite to ask if they wanted to take part in this. From that, I sent them a questionnaire to complete, which has been really helpful and given me an insight into the individual needs of each supporter.
“I work very much with a person-centred approach, so each bag is unique depending on what the supporter has said they need from their corresponding answer in the questionnaire.
“However, there are some things that will go in every pack. They will get a lanyard with a One Pack card at the bottom which says ‘Please be aware I have a hidden disability’ or ‘Please do not touch me, I have a hidden disability’. They’ll also get an easy-read menu of the kiosks and an easy-read map of the stadium.
“While the colour of each pack is different as I’ve asked the supporters what their favourite colour is, so they will get a bag that matches their favourite colour, and it will also include other items depending on what they answered in their questionnaire – all of which will support their needs while they’re at Molineux.
“At the moment, it’s an invite only initiative, but I’m hoping that if we can secure the funding, we will be able to open it up to a wider range of fans. In the future, I would like to provide enough Comfort Packs for about 30 to 35 supporters.”
If you would like more information or are interested in supporting our comfort packs for fans with neurodiverse needs at Molineux, please get in touch via fanservices@wolves.co.uk and 01902 810485.
